Jay was coming closer and only had a couple of soldiers in the way, but when the king again cut Gon on the same side, he knew he would have to hurry to help his friend. Gon fought hard and got a strike in on the chest of the king, but the king struck back and Gon felt the sword hitting him again. Arobe then made three fast cuts that were only partly blocked by Gon. He went down on one knee and felt the pain increasing. He could tell Arobe was, indeed, powerful and also felt the energy from the small pebbles had completely vanished. The king looked at the man on knees and felt he had been a verity opponent but wanted to finish him off fast. He told Gon he appreciated the fight and walked towards him with his sword ready.
Gon tried to stand up but couldn’t, and he realised he would lose if he continued to fight him. As the king came closer, he thought about his family and knew he had to try to make a decision to let the king approach him. Arobe swung the sword, but Gon blocked it and hit Arobe on the cheek hoping it would be hard enough but Arobe was a trained warrior. Those that knew him well knew that he was the youngest soldier ever to have achieved the status of commander in his birth kingdom. When Gon tried to hit the king with his staff then Arobe got his chance to increase the odds for himself. He swung the sword hard against Gon who had no other choice but to hold his weapon up to block. The weapon Gon had had since he was young was made of a tree that could not be easily cut down. But with the force of the strike from the king, it finally snapped. Without a weapon to defend with, Arobe attacked again but Gon moved his broken staff so it hit hard over the liver of the king. Arobe felt it but was more focused on attacking. His sword went straight for Gon that cut him in the stomach.
Gon felt the blood running out from the womb and Jay, who had seen it all, shouted his friend’s name. Arobe pulled the sword out that was now covered of blood. Jay looked at Gon who, with increasingly blurry vision, looked back and said he was sorry. Arobe kicked him, and he fell backwards down in to the water below. The king walked back and he felt the pain from the cheek that Gon made sure he hit as hard as he possibly could. He looked over the cave and saw his army supporting him was almost all captured and disarmed. Only small groups of resistance were still active but would soon be all gone. From the back, he could tell that many people had managed to escape and he was happy for that. He raised his voice and told his soldiers that were unable to flee to lay down their arms so they didn’t die unnecessary. Hearing their king’s voice speak of giving up was hard, but they also knew they were outnumbered.
Jay had come up and looked the king in the eyes and said he must pay for what he had done. The king smiled and said he knew he would die today but said it might not be by his hands. He did not wait for Jay to attack and himself engaged straight on. The attack began, and Jay was staying away from the strikes as much as possible and noticed the king held his hand over his liver and saw he was in pain. He started to attack the side where the liver was and the king was forced to make sure he defended there and it left him more open on the other sides. The king was still a much better swordsman than anyone out there, but Jay was not bad either. It helped that Arobe was now injured and had concentrated more on defence rather than attack.
Arobe was in much pain and realised the last strike of his other opponent must have hit harder than he thought. He could feel he was injured badly by the blow and lost focus over the fight. Some lucky strikes were handed to Jay that felt himself being filled with confidence. Jay managed to hit on the leg of the king and the right after also able to slam him in the head with the handle of the sword. It was a cheap move, but that had to be done, Jay thought. Arobe was having trouble with the skilled soldier and moved back. Arobe might be famous for his sword skills, but he felt a little dizzy in his head. Jay was fighting better than ever and then had the upper hand. He made the king defend, and with a lucky strike, he hit the liver hard. The king felt the pain and tried to advance but had to stop and went on one knee. He was sweating and held himself over the liver. He called Jay a fool and said he was following a dangerous woman.
Jay said he knew he was doing the right thing so the king smiled and told him to come closer so he could cut him down. Jay got closer, and when the king struck, it felt weaker and Jay had no problem defending. A few more strikes were dealt between them, but only the swords met each other. With the injuries sustained in the fight, Arobe lost his edge finally. Jay struck the king on the sword and it fell from his hand. Arobe knew his time was numbered as soon as he entered the cave and looked at the soldier standing in front of him in the eyes.
Jay held the sword over the throat and said he would kill him for what he had done. Arobe smiled and told him he didn’t care, but his brother would burn down Grasoll to take revenge for him. Jay moved the sword closer and got himself ready to finish him off. From below, Kemi suddenly shouted to Jay to not kill the king and he must stand trial for his crimes in the Grasoll lands’ kingdom. Jay did not want to let the king live and wanted him to die for the crimes he had committed. Kemi told him again, and Jay did understand the reality of the matter. Against his will, he pulled his sword back but still pointed it at the king. Arobe mocked him and told him when he got free, he would kill him. Jay did not take the threat well and hit the king over the jaw with the sword handle so he fell to the side. The fallen king continued to laugh while others came up to secure him in chains.
Arobe said he was not worried but they should be because if his brother found out, they would taste fire and wind like nothing else before. Jay didn’t listen and instead looked over the edge to see if he could see his friend. When he couldn’t see Gon, he ran down and stood at the edge of the water. The water was dark and even with a torch lighting it up, it was hard to see anything. In the darkness below inside of the water, Gon was, for some reason, still alive. He was not moving much and was calm inside his body. He wondered how long it would take before he died. He didn’t mind and only wished to see his wife again. He believed his children would be taken care of well by the kingdom but did wish to see them grow up.
A few flashes of light came, and he thought to himself that he was finally on his way to the afterlife. With tired eyes that he opened, he saw a land which was bright in colour. It looked beautiful and so peaceful there he thought. He saw trees and fields of grass that stretched far. A voice was heard and was softly speaking to him. He recognised it to be Senji. He called to her and she appeared to then take his hand. He smiled to her and said he was happy she had come to meet him as he entered the afterlife. Senji looked a little younger, and she seemed to be happy. They both hugged, and Senji whispered that she was also glad to see him but she was not there to bring him to her. He looked at her, surprised and asked what she meant. She said he was not ready to leave yet and told him he had to wake up. She told him he was not dead and must live to protect their daughters. Gon said he missed her and he was able to kill the man who shot her down. She said she knew and stroked him over the chin. She said the girls would need to have their father and he had much more to do in life still. Gon said he understood and reached in, and they kissed one last time. She began to vanish, and he heard her say to always remember her as she was. He said, silently with heavy heart, that he would never forget her.
In a flash, he woke up and found himself in the water. He could see the torch from above and started to swim up; the cut from the king’s sword was hurting for every stroke towards the surface. He reached for Jay’s hand that was in the water and was helped up by his friend. Others helped to pull the injured man that came out of the water. Gon told Jay he saw Senji, and she was fine where she was. Jay didn’t know what happened down in the water but as long as his friend was alive, he was happy. Kemi came up to Gon and thanked him for taking out the canons and said she would like to have him in the army as a commander. But Gon said he would rather cook than fight and smiled. Kemi laughed and Nami came up to Jay. He told Gon she was the young woman he saw many years ago on the road and in the kingdom, and Gon said he was happy to meet her. She said she heard about his wi
fe and was sorry for his loss; Gon thanked her and asked if they had the king.
Jay said Arobe was in chains and so were his troops that were unable to escape. He said a lot of soldiers were able to retreat into the cave system, and they were not able to follow due to the passage being destroyed after them. They would not know either where the cave would leave to so sending out soldiers to look for them in the mountain would be too dangerous with all the Darcolian soldiers still hiding in there. The captured soldiers were being led out from the cave, and some people from the Darcolian kingdom that had come out were booing Kemi and Queen Lisaro. She realised the king must have had the support from the people of the kingdom and still had it. There were a lot of injured people, and too many dead on both sides. The carriages would carry many loved ones back to their families, and many tears would fall for many days.
Gon was sitting in one of the carriages and looked over the then slightly lightening skies and wondered what his next step would be. He was still being fixed up inside the carriage and the healer told him to lie down. Jay walked beside him and was talking to Nami. She said she might consider staying if Jay wanted her to. He said he would like that very much, and she smiled but punched him on the side of the shoulder again. She said he better behave though because she was still royalty and rode up to Queen Lisaro who was sitting in another carriage.
On the way back, they passed a few villages and some people came out to see the army that had captured their king. Arobe was not seen because he sat in one of the carriages, but it was not hard to find out in which one he was in. The biggest soldiers walked besides the one of the carriages, and many men had their bows out to fire upon anyone coming too close to it. After a few days, they arrived to the kingdom, and the people cheered and welcomed them back. The preparations of the trial started immediately, and the king was put in a cell by himself. ‘The king must answer for his crimes,’ Kemi ordered and soon it happened.
Building a New House
The army had come back, and Gon was taken to Heiwan village. When he arrived, he got a huge welcome by the others and his daughters hugged him tightly. They got to their house, and Gon sat down and told his children what he had been through. They found Master Tiger interesting and were very happy that their father killed Femil. When it was time for the girls to go to bed, he read them bedtime stories that their mother used to read. He came out into the kitchen, and as soon as he sat down, he started to cry. The empty bedroom and the fact that he was all alone with the girls was proving too much for him as he had no more strength to hold back the tears. The girls had woken up and saw their father crying and ran to him and both held him as he cried. Sophia said they still had each other and said she saw her mother in a dream where she said she was all good.
They fell asleep next to each other in the bedroom and slept the rest of the night together. In the morning, about two weeks after the Grasoll army had come home from the war, they sat quietly and were eating the pancakes that Gon had made. He had taken the role as a single father seriously and also brought in some help to buy groceries from the markets. The girls were easy to handle since they knew what had happened during the past time and didn’t wish to add more pain for their father. They helped as well and made it so Gon could feel he was doing a good job. They had been to their mother’s grave many times and a lot of flowers were growing in many different shapes and varieties.
As they were finishing the pancakes, a knock came from the door and it was Jay that had come. He said Gon was requested at the castle in the afternoon and he would be back to pick them up later. Gon wondered what they wanted, but he got the girls ready, and as the afternoon came, so did Jay with a carriage. They were ready for the castle. Jay was silent about what the kingdom wanted, but Gon figured it was to get a testimony from him about what happened. The girls were dressed up nicely, and they all sat in a carriage. They came into the kingdom gates, and there was a lot of movement on the street. The people were going about their business and working as normal.
Gon remembered when he used to work in the kingdom and how busy it used to be. They rode through the gates of the castle, and in the yard, the army stood on a line as the carriage passed. Gon wondered what was going on, and Jay pointed towards the castle front doors. There was a long line of soldiers all along the road to the castle doors, and a big crowd of people were gathered in front of it. As they were very close, the cheers began to rise, and as Gon climbed out the carriage, still with bandages around himself, he understood why they had brought him there. On the steps leading up to the door were Kemi and the king waiting, and they walked down the stairs.
Gon and the girls bowed to the king and Kemi. Kemi, who had known Gon since he first gave her those buns in the old farm and had treated her like a sister rather than a royalty, then walked up to hug him and saying her heart ached for what had happened to his wife. She also told him that she would be there for him if there was anything he needed. She smiled and also hugged the girls for a moment. She brought the girls with her, and the king told Gon to come up to him. There were royalties from the many lands surrounding the Grasoll land, and they all had heard about the fighter that stood in front of them, and how the war was won.
Jay stood smiling and next to him stood Nami who put her chin on his shoulder. The king got help to come down the stairs and smiled. He told Gon to please come down on one knee, and as he did, the king knighted him, and the people cheered high. When he rose, the king reached out his hand to Gon. Despite a king rarely doing so, he also knew Gon well and had had the pleasure of his company many times before. The high officers saluted him, and his daughters ran up to their then knighted father. Gon smiled and waved to the crowd which felt a little strange for him.
Kemi told the people to come inside the castle where the feast could begin. There was a feast, indeed, and a lot of royalties were eager to talk to Gon about the war and the revenge for his wife. The restaurant and the tournament also came up, and one of the guests said he now was responsible for much of the tournament and bought the rights from Mr Pan before he died a year earlier. He had also acquired many enemies after purchasing the rights. Gon had gone to the funeral and had spent a few days in the great city of Shetana that then was a dirtier place than before and a lot of crime was visible on the streets. The man said he knew the mayor was corrupt and wanted money more than peace but would soon be replaced by another man that had better morals and when that happened, Shetana would change for the better.
The man told Gon he was only temporarily the owner of the rights and intended to sell them. When Gon was asked if he was interested, he first thought about it but then said no. Gon enjoyed the feast and looked around over the crowd, and suddenly noticed a familiar figure amongst the crowd. He walked up from his seat and walked over to the figure that was standing at the side of a pillar. The man had his arms crossed and looked upon Gon as he came close. He let his hood fall back and said he always wondered whether the pebbles he gave to Gon worked. Gon looked upon Master Tiger who had come as well. They shook hands, and Gon told about the pebbles and how he had used them to get out of the cage and killed the man he was after.
Tiger listened with interest, and when Gon was finished, he stayed quiet for a few seconds. Tiger told Gon he was happy the pebbles went to good use, and if he ever wanted to spar against him, he would be honoured. The two had an obvious respect for each other, and they shook hands again. Sophia came up and looked upon Tiger and knew immediately who he was. She said when she grew up, she wanted to be as great of a fighter as her father. The master, who had won many titles and fought many battles, laughed then said he had no doubt that she would be. He said he would be happy to spar against her as well when she grew up.
Gon lifted Sophia and asked if Tiger would stay for the feast, but Tiger said he must go but he had no doubt they would meet again. As Gon looked back to the table where the party was going on, he saw them wave to him, and when he turned back to the master, he was nowhere to be found and had vanished i
nto the thin air. When he came back to the table, Jay asked him who he was talking to and when Gon told him, he realised the great tournament master was just there.
The night ended, and Gon and the girls returned home. Sophia was still awake but just barely, and Isabel was asleep when they opened the door. She got carried in by Gon who put them to sleep. They stayed up a little more, but Jay left soon and Gon went to sleep as well. The next morning, the girls were taken to school by a neighbour, and Gon went through the house and sorted some things. He suddenly came across a chest, and when he opened it, he remembered the piece of land he had won many years ago. He remembered when he went there a couple of days later with Senji and had found it very nice. There was an old well in the forest that the previous owner had built and it was surrounded by forest and small hills. The land was hard to have crops on and with being so close to the mountain, parts of the land also had rocks pointing up. He sat down and thought for a moment then he took a paper and started to sketch up something on it.
The whole day was going fast, and as soon as he was looking upon the ready idea, the girls came in the door and told him what they had learned that day. Gon cooked the dinner then sat down with Sophia and Isabel to tell them about what he had in mind. They listened with interest and saw the paper he used to sketch up his plan on. The paper had a big building on, and it looked like a training ground in the middle. Part of the mountain was in the sketch as well and a house was higher up and stairs leading up to it. The girls were excited about it, and Gon felt it would be a great thing that he had in his mind. The next day, he left the girls with the neighbour that took care of them before he left and left towards his land with the old carriage that had been on many of his adventures.
World of Taroo Page 38